Due to budget cuts, the Seattle Public Library system has closed down for a week-long furlough beginning today, Monday, August 29 until Sunday, September 4. All branches will also be closed the following day, Monday, September 5, for Labor Day, reopening on Tuesday, September 6.

From the Seattle Public Library:

The week-long closure will help the Library achieve its $3.7 million budget reduction target for 2011. The closure will save approximately $650,000. The closure will mean salary reductions for nearly 640 employees who will not be paid during that week and who are taking cuts in their cost of living adjustments. In addition, the book budget has been reduced, positions have been eliminated and 2010 cuts to branch hours have continued this year. Fifteen branches are only open 35 hours a week.

No materials will be due and no fines will be charged during the one-week closure, and most library services will be unavailable, including book drops, Wi-Fi,  regular programs and events in library meeting rooms, TeleCirc (the library’s telephone circulation service that provides patrons with information on their library account), and text, email or or phone communication with a librarian.

Access to the online catalog will be limited to searching and checking library records, but patrons won’t be able to place holds.

Some online services will remain available, including the calendar of events; the SPL Mobile page; online payment of fines and fees; library podcasts; access to premium online databases, including Britannica Online, ChiltonLibrary.com, Mango Languages, Consumer Reports and Morningstar Investment Research Center; access to downloadable media, such as e-books and audiobooks, songs and movies; and digital collections, such as photos from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Collection, the Northwest Art Collection and The Seattle Historical Photograph Collection; the Seattle City Directory Collection; and the Century 21 Exposition Digital Collection.

If you’ve got some library books due for return, or ones you’d like to check out for a little summer reading, you may want to head over the Queen Anne branch this week before the city’s libraries take a week-long furlough. The Seattle Public Library system will be closed from Monday, August 29 through Sunday, September 4 due to city budget cuts. All branches also will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 5.

From the press release:

The week-long closure will help the Library achieve its $3.7 million budget reduction target for 2011. The closure will save approximately $650,000. The closure will mean salary reductions for nearly 640 employees who will not be paid during that week and who are taking cuts in their cost of living adjustments. In addition, the book budget has been reduced, positions have been eliminated and 2010 cuts to branch hours have continued this year. Fifteen branches are only open 35 hours a week.

No materials will be due and no fines will be charged during the one-week closure.

Most library services will be unavailable during the closure, including book drops (the Central Library’s book drop will close at 8 p.m. August 28); Wi-Fi; regular programs and events in library meeting rooms; TeleCirc (the library’s telephone circulation service that provides patrons with information on their library account); and no texting, emailing or chatting with a librarian.

Access to the online catalog will be limited to searching and checking library records, but patrons won’t be able to place holds.

Some online services will remain available, including the calendar of events; the SPL Mobile page; online payment of fines and fees; library podcasts; access to premium online databases, including Britannica Online, ChiltonLibrary.com, Mango Languages, Consumer Reports and Morningstar Investment Research Center; access to downloadable media, such as e-books and audiobooks, songs and movies; and digital collections, such as photos from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Collection, the Northwest Art Collection and The Seattle Historical Photograph Collection; the Seattle City Directory Collection; and the Century 21 Exposition Digital Collection.

The Seattle Public Library system will be closing down for the week before Labor Day weekend, from Monday, August 29 through Sunday, September 4 due to citywide budget cuts. All libraries will be closed for the Labor Day holiday Monday, September 5. Regular Library operations will resume Tuesday, September 6.

Most Library services will be unavailable during the one-week closure and will have the following impacts:

No materials will be due and no fines will be charged.

The last day to check out Library items before the closure is Sunday, August 28. The Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., will be open until 6 p.m. that day and another 11 branches will be open until 5 p.m. Visit www.spl.org or call 206-386-4636 for more information on Library locations and hours.

No book drops will be open. The Central Library book drops will close at 8 p.m. Sunday, August 28 and will reopen at 6 a.m. Tuesday, September 6.

If you’re desperate for library access, the Lake City Neighborhood Service Center and parking garage will remain open. It is co-located with the Lake City Branch, but has a separate entrance. The Ballard Neighborhood Service Center, which is co-located with the Ballard Branch, will stay open as well.

August 29 through September 4 was the week selected for the closure because general Library use at that time is not as high as other times during the year, school is not in session and there are fewer Library programs scheduled.

For more info, visit the Seattle Library site.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is closing most of its facilities on Friday, December 24—some for a furlough day, and others for the Christmas holiday. All facilities will be closed on Saturday, December 25, for Christmas.

There will be no childcare at community centers on Friday, December 24 or Friday, December 31. There will be no Late Night programs December 24 – 25 and December 31 – January 1. On Friday, December 31, pools will close at 3 p.m., and community centers will close at 6 p.m.

The upcoming closure is the last of ten unpaid furlough days City of Seattle employees have taken this year to help fill the budget gap. The city says that there will be no furlough closures in 2011.

The following facilities and services will be closed on December 24, 25 and January 1:

• Grounds maintenance
• Community centers
• Swimming pools
• Environmental Learning Centers
• Lifelong Recreation
• Business Service Center
• All Administrative Offices
• Amy Yee Tennis Center
• Special Events Scheduling

The following facilities and services will be closed on Monday, December 27 for the last furlough day:

• Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
• Planning and Development Division
• Magnuson Park office
• Youth Violence Prevention Initiative office

Public Golf Courses will be closed on Christmas Day only.

Two more Parks and Recreation furlough days are coming up this week and next, on Friday, May 28 and Tuesday, June 1, as part of ten unpaid off days City of Seattle employees are taking this year due in an attempt to help fill the budget gap.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has worked hard to schedule furlough days in a way that has the smallest possible impact on customers, and that provides as much coverage as possible. Parks will not take furloughs in July and August – the peak season for park users.

The following facilities and services will be closed on Friday, May 28:

• Grounds maintenance
• Community centers (except child care and late night programs, which will still operate)
• Swimming pools
• Environmental Learning Centers
• Lifelong Recreation (except Food and Fitness programs, which will still operate)
• Business Service Center

The following facilities and services will be closed on Tuesday, June 1:

• Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
• Planning and Development Division
• Magnuson Park office

All Youth Violence Prevention Initiative sites, also known as Extended Hours Program sites, will furlough today, Wednesday, May 26. In addition, all facilities will be closed on Monday, May 31 for Memorial Day. On both furlough days there will be no trash pick-up, and no bathroom cleaning or maintenance. Park maintenance staff will be on duty on Memorial Day to empty trash cans and clean restrooms.

“We’ve done everything we can to limit the impacts of the furlough on our patrons, customers and visitors; however, the public will experience parks with diminished maintenance on Friday, May 28,” said Christopher Williams, Acting Superintendent. “If park patrons encounter overflowing trash cans, we encourage you to pack out your own trash. We are asking the community to help us keep our parks clean on the few days this year that we are not able to clean them ourselves.”

Both the Queen Anne Pool and Queen Anne Community Center will be closed on Friday, February 12 for one of the ten departmental unpaid furlough days this year, as well as on Monday, February 15 for Presidents’ Day. This year Seattle city departments were forced to take furlough days due to budget cuts. All city departments will be closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day. In addition, Department of Neighborhoods offices will be taking their furlough day on Tuesday, February 16. Though the community center will be closed on Friday, child care and late night programs will continue to operate. See the full schedule of citywide furlough days here.